Minnesota mothers call for gun reform after Catholic church shooting

The Catholic Herald • September 23, 2025

Three mothers whose children survived the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Plymouth, Minnesota, have spoken publicly in favour of stricter gun laws.
The mothers addressed a town hall meeting over the weekend, called in response to the tragedy of 27 August, when two children were killed and 21 others injured during a school Mass.

The attack began when transgender shooter Robin Westman, 23, opened fire through the stained-glass windows of the church. Among the victims were Fletcher Merkel, aged eight, and ten-year-old Harper Moyski, both of whom died from their injuries.

At the meeting, organised by Rep. Kelly Morrison, Democrat for Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District, parents demanded reforms. Carla Maldonado, who has two children at Annunciation Catholic School, urged legislators to “take action” to honour the lives lost. She called for a prohibition on assault weapons, saying such firearms had no place outside a battlefield.

Another mother, Malia Kimbrell, whose daughter Vivian, nine, is recovering after multiple gunshot wounds, also pressed for an assault weapons ban. She spoke of the need for more mental health provision, improved background checks, secure gun storage, and better monitoring of potential threats online. She asked fellow parents to consider what kind of weapons they would be content for a shooter to wield in their children’s school.

They also testified before a working group of state legislators last week. They faced opposition from Rob Doar of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, who argued that the proposed restrictions would not have prevented the shooting, as Westman had purchased his weapons legally. He urged lawmakers instead to prioritise improvements in mental health care.

Westman used three firearms: a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle thought to be an AR-15-style semi-automatic, each of them bought under existing law. Minnesota statutes already bar people involuntarily committed for mental health reasons or judged a danger to themselves or others from possessing firearms. However, Westman was not restricted under these provisions.

In September, Governor Tim Walz called for a special session of the legislature to address gun safety. His proposals include banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, strengthening safe storage rules, and tightening the state’s red flag law.

The latter, introduced in 2023, permits courts to issue extreme risk protection orders that temporarily disarm people deemed a threat. Some Republican leaders, however, have questioned why the law did not apply in this case.

Republican legislators have advanced alternative priorities, among them increased security, more funding for mental health facilities, and tougher penalties for gun crimes.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference, representing the state’s six dioceses, has consistently urged that security assistance be extended to Catholic schools.

Everytown Research, an American non-profit organization which advocates for gun control, ranks Minnesota 14th nationally for the strength of its gun safety policies, citing universal background checks, domestic violence protections, and restrictions on private transfers.

(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)